In conventional flexible order transaction systems in manufacturing, changing the product in orders that are already in progress is possible but is limited in the way production is mapped between the original order and new order. For example, if a production process for the original order involves 5 steps O1-O5 and the production process for the new order involves 10 steps N1-N10, the original order may be changed (transferred) to the new order at a specified pair of mapped steps (e.g., O2 to N5). This mapping may occur between reporting points for the steps. A reporting point is the conclusion of a discrete step in a production process where an accurate accounting of the progress of an order may be made. Typically, the original order for the original product will have a different production process with different reporting points than the new order for the new product. Reporting points may be used to define the steps in the production process and it is typically at one pair of reporting points that a change in the order is made. It is at this point, where successfully processed yield, unsuccessfully processed scrap, an work-in-process (WIP) quantities are mapped and transferred to the order for the new product. Conventional flexible order transaction systems do not provide the ability to change the order at multiple reporting points across the production process for the original order. Additionally, they do not allow for the flexible transfer of WIP and scrap at unmapped reporting points in the production process. Conventional flexible order transaction systems incorporate product change functionality for production orders but do not provide for the detailed changing of the order at multiple reporting points across the production process. For example, the lot product update functionality in the Oracle® Shop Floor Management 11i system is one example of a conventional flexible order transaction system.
Providing greater flexibility in changing already in progress production orders is important for a number of reasons. This flexibility can help manufacturers when the demand for the original product in the original order decreases and the demand for a similar product increases. For example, in semiconductors, similar chips of different speeds are processed in similar processes and lend themselves more easily to product change to reflect existing demand. Manufacturers may also benefit from changing an already in progress order when the test results or grade of the product at one of the operations (reporting points) in the process indicate its suitability for use in another product. For example, in semiconductors where similar processes exists for chips of different speeds, the test results at one step in the production process may make the change in product for the order beneficial. Greater flexibility in the flexible order transaction system may allow a product change to transfer across multiple reporting points all the remaining WIP from an original order to a new order for a different product—an option not available in conventional systems.